Current Structures with Magnetic Shear in Space Plasma

Abstract

Observations of current structures with magnetic shear by the Cluster satellite quartet in the magnetotail and the Wind satellite in the solar wind have been reported. In current structures with magnetic shear, the following structural features have been identified: (i) thickening of a current layer, (ii) plasma density distribution asymmetric with respect to the layer plane, and (iii) formation of an asymmetric current density profile. The kinetic features of the dynamics of ions in current layers with initial shear deformation have been considered. A mechanism has been proposed for the formation of self-consistent current sheets with a nonzero shear magnetic field component.